Main menu

Le Mans: Martin Brundle to make return in 24 Hours, will team with son

November 22, 2011

Martin and his son Alex will compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2012

Former Grand Prix driver Martin Brundle will return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2012 after a 10-year absence, and he will race with his son, Alex.

The 52-year-old Brit, who won Le Mans with Jaguar in 1990, will drive a Zytek-Nissan Z11SN LMP2 prototype for the British Greaves Motorsport team at the French enduro. The drive is part of a wider deal that includes a full assault on the five-race Le Mans Series in Europe for 21-year-old Alex Brundle, who this year raced single-seaters in the FIA Formula Two Championship.

Brundle Sr., whose last Le Mans start came at the wheel of a Bentley EXP Speed 8 in 2001, said, “This is an unexpected pleasure, heightened by the fact I will be teammates with my son. I'm eagerly anticipating a very special feeling when handing the car over to Alex during one of the world's greatest motor races. Class victory in front of the fanatical Le Mans spectators is the goal.”

Brundle said his motivation to race at Le Mans again is fueled by a successful return to top-line sports-car racing in this year's Rolex 24 at Daytona, in which he finished fourth overall in a United Autosports/Michael Shank Riley Daytona Prototype.

“I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it,” he said, “and that my speed was still there.”

Brundle said he is open to the idea of racing at Le Mans beyond 2012.

“It's not out of the question, but I will have to see how I go,” he said. “It will also depend on my TV duties. I intend to keep commentating on Formula One for another few years.”

Famous father-son combinations to compete at Le Mans include Nigel Mansell and sons Greg and Leo in 2010, and Mario and Michael Andretti in 1982, 1983, 1988 and 1997. The race was won by Louis Rosier and son Jean-Louis Jr. (sometimes known as Louis Jr.) at the wheel of a Talbot-Lago in 1950.

Greaves plans to field two entries at Le Mans next year as well as make single-car assaults on the FIA World Endurance Championship and the Le Mans Series. It has yet to announce a third driver to share driving duties with the Brundles, but the pro-am rules for the LMP2 class will dictate that it cannot be a professional driver.